When you are watching a reality show, do you believe that it’s entirely unscripted? Or, do you expect at least portions of the show are pre-planned or even scripted? David Hester is suing A&E Networks for wrongful termination from his job on Storage Wars. He’s claiming he was fired after complaints that the network was planting items in storage units. Whether it’s true or false, do you care if antiques or other interesting items are added to the units?

I started watching Storage Wars after my aunt and uncle raved about it at a family gathering. Within a week, I was caught up on all the episodes to date; I was hooked. With all the scripted television I watch for my job, I rarely have time to watch any reality shows. Though, it probably has more to do with my general dislike of reality and contest programming. That left me quite surprised by just how much I enjoyed Storage Wars, even when the bidders were annoying.

While watching, I never considered that the units were faked. It’s clear that some of the antics and interviews are scripted, but it never crossed my mind that the network could be hiding items in the units. They are locked, right? When this lawsuit was filed, I realized I don’t really care if they are adding items.

Why? The enjoyment of the show comes from the bidding and then the reveal of what they find. If they never found anything interesting whether valuable or not, would I even want to watch? I’d rather have the producers sneak in a car, a valuable painting, or an odd collectible, than see 30 minutes of old clothes, toys, and kitchen stuff.

I was glad to hear that Hester wouldn’t be returning to the show. The few episodes this year that he wasn’t in were much more pleasant to watch. All the bidders are annoying in their own way, but over the seasons Hester has become unbearable. His bidding and antics became about “beating” or manipulating his opponents’ bids, rather than being about finding good units for a business purpose. That ruined the experience.

I’m not a legal expert, so I have no idea what will happen with his lawsuit, but we should at least find out the truth about the units. That is unless the two sides settle out of court. I’m just glad to know that Hester won’t be on the next season. His absence should make for a more enjoyable season.

Do you care if producer’s added items to the units? Or, if true, are you disappointed? Will you continue to watch Storage Wars?

[easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B0050O9YGW” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51A1EWBxUPL._SL160_.jpg” width=”113″]  [easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B005TZFZ9C” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ygx%2BxYdbL._SL160_.jpg” width=”113″]  [easyazon-image align=”none” asin=”B007I1Q53U” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nAG3LR3SL._SL160_.jpg” width=”113″]